Taming the Beast

Summary: An error in the Space Bridge Project sends Coby, Lori, and the Convoys into the Eva Universe. Why are the Rumbles that Coby and Lori pilot so similar to the Evas? Is there a connection between the Angels and the Transformers? Will they survive?

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or Transformers Galaxy Force, but they are interesting stories.

Chapter 22

"Are you sure about this, Doctor?" Gendo asked.

"Positive," Ritsuko answered.

"Keep the First Child sedated," he ordered. "She will remain that way until we can safely replace her. The explanation will be that syncing outside the Eva was too much for her mind."

"Understood," Ritsuko said. "And what should I tell…"

"That will be of no concern for you," Gendo said firmly.

She sighed, "Yes, sir."

"7:00 tonight," he told her.

Ritsuko bit her tongue for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry, but I already have plans for tonight."

"Very well. Dismissed."

The minute she left his office, Ritsuko ran to hers. Her heart was beating incredibly fast. She had never rejected Gendo before, and was always jealous of Rei for having his attention. But ever since Rei began rejecting Gendo, Ritsuko herself began to find the man revolting.

She hurried into her own private bathroom to throw up.

Lori buried her face into Coby's chest. She felt him hold her tighter as he pulled their bed sheets over them, the cold cloth making her shiver slightly. They were alone in the apartment, and their bodies were still glowing with pleasure from their previous activities.

But it seemed that nothing, not even when she was at the height of sexual ecstasy, could dispel the feeling she had that something bad was going to happen, and soon.

"What's wrong?" Coby asked her.

"How'd you know?" she asked, feeling slightly guilty, as she had not told him.

Coby chuckled slightly, "Two reasons. One: I'm married to you. Two: normally, you're a bit more… 'Active'. Something's on your mind."

"How romantic," Lori joked, rolling her eyes. "You use our sexual activities to monitor how I feel. Anything else you want to mention?"

"Aside from the fact that it seems that crossing universes has stopped your monthly cycle?" Coby asked. "Not really, but Rumble and Hitomi both say that your cycle will return when we get back to our universe."

"One thing I'm not looking forward two," Lori sighed. "I just have a bad feeling, Coby, nothing big." She looked up and smiled at him.

Coby gave her a gentle, yet stern smile. "Lori, you know as well as I do that ever since you became a Symbiocon Partner, your intuition has been enhanced to the point that you can snatch glimpses of the future."

Lori's smile faded, and tears began to well up in her eyes. She knew he was right. "Something bad is going to happen, Coby. I don't know what or when, but it will be soon, and it will happen to you. I don't want to loose you." Her grip on him tightened, as if he were a life preserver.

Coby gently kissed the top of her head, "We'll be ready, then. Besides, if someone wanted to kill me, they'd have to get past…"

"Don't say it!" Lori begged. "Please, don't talk about that time!"

"Sorry," Coby apologized. "I just wish there was some way to control it."

"You know there isn't, Coby," Lori said. "That's why we have to avoid it."

"Just sign here," the nurse said.

Misato scrawled her signature on the release forms and gave it back to the nurse. "Shinji, Rei, lets go."

Both red-eyed tees stood and followed, Shinji supporting Rei, who was still weak in spite of her quick recovery. Thankfully, Coby and Lori knew some healing techniques, so she would be up and about by tomorrow morning. They entered an elevator and began to head to the garage when it stopped and Ritsuko stepped in.

The doctor's eyes widened, "Rei? What are you doing?"

"I am going home," the girl answered, smiling slightly.

"Did you check her out?" Ritsuko asked Misato as the elevator continued to rise.

"Yea. Something wrong?" Misato asked.

The elevator came to a stop and the door opened as Ritsuko replied, "Nothing. The Commander wanted some tests done, that's all."

"What kind of tests?" asked a voice. They all looked to see Nitro Convoy parked next to Misato's car.

"What are you doing here?" Misato asked.

"Escort," the Speedian Leader replied. "What kind of tests, Dr. Akagi?"

"Just some tests to see how she was able to synchronize outside of her Eva," Ritsuko lied.

"Very well, then," Nitro Convoy said. "I will take Shinji home, and Major Katsuragi and Rei will remain here. I will return with Coby and Lori to assist with the tests."

Damn, Ritsuko thought. This was a problem, and now she had to come up with a test on the fly. At least this throws a wrench in the monkey's plan. She had to admit, now she had a good excuse to not follow orders.

Gendo was fuming. He had just received word that Ritsuko would be unable to proceed with her orders without drawing undue attention. Things were getting riskier, especially since the Cybertron Army was increasing its operations, with pilot protection on the top of their list. As it was now, he would be hard pressed to execute his scenario.

Thankfully, he had a chance to vent some steam now, and perhaps even strike a blow against the Cybertron Army without them knowing.

Kaji currently stood in front of him in shackles, and for a good reason.

"We have evidence that you were the one responsible for the blackout that occurred during the Ninth Angel," he said aloud. "Such sabotage is easily punishable by death. Do you have anything to say?"

The triple agent remained silent.

Gendo continued, "I am aware of your triple agent status. I am willing to overlook that, and your sabotage if you use your status to carry out my orders."

"My loyalty is to NERV, you know that," Kaji said.

"Will you follow my orders, or do you prefer death?" Gendo asked.

Kaji sighed. He was still trying to get Misato back and finish his own investigations, so he only had one choice. "What do you want me to do?"

Gendo smiled.

Shinji hated being alone. Misato, Rei, Coby, and Lori were at NERV, and Asuka was on a date, so he was the only one in the apartment. Normally, he would have enjoyed it, as it would have meant he could have some time to himself, but he didn't want to be alone. He wanted to be with Rei.

To keep himself busy, he had done the daily laundry. It wasn't too bad, though he was embarrassed about washing Coby and Lori's love-soaked bed sheets. They sometimes had to be washed twice a day. It was a wonder Lori wasn't pregnant already.

At 7:00 p.m., he began to make dinner, thinking he would be the only one, when Asuka finally returned home. He quickly increased the food he was cooking so she wouldn't yell at him for not cooking her dinner and proceeded to try and block out her complaints about how boring her date was. When she got to the part about how she ditched him in one of the roller coaster lines, Shinji found he had to ask.

"Why? It sounds to me like he was just trying to have fun."

"He was just a pervert," Asuka insisted. "All boys are, regardless of how they act."

"If you're the one who's always thinking about those things, doesn't that mean you're the pervert?" Shinji asked as he set up their dinner, hoping she'd listen to reason. He was really getting tired of her high horse attitude.

"Stop acting like Wondergirl, Baka-doll. No wonder you two like each other," Asuka said, starting to wolf down her dinner.

Shinji froze as an alarming amount of anger began to well up inside of him. He had heard Asuka call Rei 'Wondergirl' and 'Doll', and took offence to it before Rei told him that Asuka could say whatever she wanted, because she didn't care what Asuka said. He had also shrugged off her insults of 'Pervert' and 'Baka', because he knew he wasn't one. But to call him a doll? To say that nether one of them felt anything?

His hand began to shake slightly and his eyes narrowed.

"You sound just like Wondergirl," Asuka continued between mouthfuls. "I offered her my friendship, and what did she say. 'If I'm ordered to.'"

Shinji's vision was starting to go red.

"It seems you're worse than her now; perverted and emotionless. You'd probably kiss me if you were dared or if you thought it would increase your social status…"

"SHUT UP!"

Asuka opened her mouth, only to close it as she saw Shinji standing, his body shaking with furry. His teeth were clenched and his lips pulled back into an angry snarl, revealing fang-like incisors. His pupils seemed to have vanished, making it look like his eyes were glowing red. Normally, Asuka wasn't one to be intimidated. But seeing Shinji like this was almost scaring her to the point of involuntary urination.

Further conflict was thankfully avoided when the door opened and voices began to pour through.

"I still don't understand why they needed to do that test."

"They didn't. The Commander is hiding something."

"Like what?"

"He has an ulterior motive, one that you are a part of, Rei. Don't go anywhere without someone else. That includes NERV."

"Understood."

"But not the bathroom, Coby. She can at least do that on her own."

"You go with her and keep watch."

"Coby!"

"Hey, Shinji-kun! When's dinner. We're all hungry."

Shinji smiled, his eyes and teeth having returned to normal. "Coming right up!"

Kaji hated to do this, but he knew he had no choice. Picking up the phone, he dialed an old friend.

Besides, they weren't part of this universe, or so they said, so it didn't matter.

Right?

Shinji's lungs burned as he continued to breathe the cool, morning air, but it felt good. Next to him, he could hear Rei's steady breathing as she kept the pace. Realizing the need to train physically, the two of them had joined Coby and Lori on their morning jog. All four of them were wearing sneakers, sweat pants, and tank tops. Shinji had to admit that he liked the one Rei was wearing, as it showed off her curves and her stomach.

"Once we get around the park, we'll head back home," Coby told them.

"Understood," the two teens replied in perfect sync.

Coby and Lori smiled at each other. Shinji and Rei were growing closer together, with. It reminded the two Cybertron Army members of themselves.

Halfway around the park, disaster struck. Coby suddenly stopped and yelled, "DROP!" All four of them hit the ground as a sniper shot rang through the air. Lori screamed, and Shinji looked up.

Unlike himself, Rei, and Lori, Coby was lying on his back, staring strait up, blood pouring from a wound in his chest.

Then, to Shinji's amazement, Coby stood, coughing blood. He took one look at his own wound before saying. "Get out of here. Lori, you know what to do." Lori nodded, pulling Shinji and Rei to their feet before they began running.

Coby turned toward the six, black-armored men running toward him, guns drawn. Forgive me, Lori, but I won't be able to stop what's coming. Have mercy on my soul, Primus.

"Sniper shot ineffective. Move in and engage at close range."

"Copy, B-1."

The squad of six, referring to themselves using the letter B and a number, moved forward, drawing their weapons. B-4 and B-2 opened fire on the blonde boy, their bullets tearing into him and causing him to fall in pool of his own blood.

"Target is down. Repeat, target is down."

"Stay together and search for the other target."

"Hey, B-1?"

"What, B-3?"

"I don't think he's dead."

They all turned to see that the boy was no longer bleeding. Instead, a silvery liquid began to seep from his wounds and cover his body.

"What the hell?" B-5 asked aloud. B-6 bent down and poked the body with the muzzle of his rifle.

A hand reached out and grabbed the rifle, snapping it in two as the figure stood.

"What the…? Fire! Fire!"

But their bullets had no effect as they either bounced off the silver liquid armor, or opened up more wounds for the liquid to flow. The being opened its mouth, revealing a maw filled with silver, needlelike fangs. Coby was gone, and in his place was a monster born from the instincts forged by the Sybiocon Duality Field. Any attacker was an enemy, and had to be terminated. It threw its head back and screamed.

The monster had awakened, and it demanded blood.

Shinji, Rei, and Lori had hid in a nearby bush when they heard the scream. Looking sad, Lori pulled out her communicator. "Galaxy Convoy Soushireikan!"

"Yes? What is it, Lori?"

"Coby has reverted to Quicksilver Form! We need you and Flame Convoy at the park immediately!"

"We're on our way!"